Face-off likely today as EC meets to seal hostel rules

NEW DELHI : The students and administration of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are inching towards another stand-off on Wednesday, when the varsity’s Executive Council (EC)— a top decision-making body — meets to discuss and pass the new hostel manual that proposes a fee hike.

The new hostel manual proposes sweeping changes to existing rules and has been a point of contention between students and varsity administration for the past two weeks.

The university’s hostel committee had already approved the manual during a meeting on October 28, without consulting representatives of the students’ union. The varsity’s students body — Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU)

— has organised protests on campus and demanded a rollback.

Thousands of students on Monday had held a day-long protest during the third convocation ceremony of JNU, demanding withdrawal of the manual.

Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, who was the guest of honour at the event, vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other dignitaries were stranded at the convocation venue .

The JNUSU on Tuesday announced it would hold a protest outside the EC meeting and observe a university strike. JNUSU general secretary Satish Yadav said, “We will again try to meet the vice-chancellor on Wednesday. We will also hand over a memorandum to EC members, requesting them to oppose the draft hostel manual during.”

Besides the fee hike, the hostel manual mentions rules such as hostel residents not being allowed in another person’s room after 10:30pm, mandatory permission from wardens for nightouts, prohibition of cooking in hostel rooms and a fine of ₹10,000 for breaching hostel norms.

JNU vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, registrar Pramod Kumar and rector Chintamani Mahapatra did not respond to calls and texts for a comment.

An EC member, requesting anonymity, said, “The University administration has not mentioned the hostel manual in the agenda for the meeting. However, we the administration can introduce it on the spot.”

Meanwhile, the warden of JNU Sutlej hostel issued a notice, asking students to pay their mess bill by Thursday, failing which food will be stopped on the same day.